John McCain

If Korea Tour Normalization is fully implemented, the assignment tour length for a majority of the locations will be 36-months accompanied and 24-months unaccompanied.

Secretary Gates, with the recent pledge for both chambers to enforce a moratorium on earmarks over the next 2 years, there is a renewed concern that Members of Congress with special interests will go underground to pressure program…

Secretary Gates, over the last few years, Congress has pushed DOD to reform its financial management practices...

Secretary Gates, please explain to me how you can demand fiscal savings and efficiencies across every sector of operations in DOD without the ability to track expenditures in financial statements that can be audited?

Secretary Gates, you suspended the Marine Corps version of the JSF, the F-35B, putting the program in a 2-year probationary period--necessary to get the program back on track.

Secretary Gates, do you believe that defense intelligence organizations are adequately represented on the FBI's JTTF? If not, do you plan to increase that participation?

Secretary Gates, what changes need to be made in the way that DOD conducts background investigations for security clearances?

Secretary Gates, do you plan to conduct or oversee a damage assessment on the Wikileaks disclosures?

Do you agree that we must always remain committed to ensuring that the quality of healthcare for our military servicemembers, their families, and veterans is never compromised, even in tough economic times?

This hearing couldn't come at a more important time.

We keep that primary responsibility we have for the national security in mind.

I believe the department can get by with a lower number. However, it is my judgment that DOD needs an appropriation of at least $540 billion for fiscal year 2011 for the U.S. military to properly carry out its mission, maintain readiness…

We have no greater responsibility in our national government than to protect our security.

Success of our mission in Afghanistan must be assured to honor the sacrifices of our brave men and women, as well as coalition partners who have fought, died, and been injured there.

I think it is time we engage in active discussions with the Iraqis as to their future needs as well as any threats there might be to our national security if there is a complete withdrawal by the end of this year.

Could these organizations simply be done away with?

There are still sanctuaries in Pakistan.

I think one of the worst announcements ever made, as far as the conflict in Afghanistan, was the statement that we would be beginning withdrawal in 2011.

I am deeply concerned about the situation in Pakistan, which obviously is vital to the sustained and long-term success in Afghanistan.

We are not talking about continued combat operations on the part of the United States, but they do need the kind of technical assistance that they will need to maintain their security.

We are committed now through NATO to the 2014 exit date from Afghanistan.

I share your optimism about our success in Afghanistan, which has confounded many of the critics.

I think it is also obvious that the Iraqi military does not have a lot of the technological capability that they need to combat this kind of insurgency that is still out there.

This so-called 'cut' is to the rate of predicted growth. The size of the base defense budget is still projected to increase in real, inflation-adjusted dollars.

These efforts have made it possible for DOD to absorb lower projected growth in the defense budget without, as Chairman McKeon warned last month, 'leav[ing] our military less capable and less able to fight.'